Cat Food

It's a hard life, basking in the sunshine and finding enough time in the day for naps, but Lucien has it down to a feline science. Lucien, an orange tabby estimated to be about 11 years old, never met a piece of good furniture or a can of cat food he didn't like. He's owned - if you must use that term - by Melinda Waldrop of Newport News.

Editor's note: This is part of an everyday series exploring individual line items in state and local budgets. Read the entire series at www.dailypress.com/watchdog . ISLE OF WIGHT - Isle of Wight Animal Control took in more than 1,400 cats and dogs last year, and all of those animals have to eat. The county has budgeted $30,500 next year for animal supplies to keep the county's rogue canines and felines fed and clean. Animal control chief Larry Wilson said dog food alone makes up most of that line item - the shelter uses a bag and a half of dog food each day, which adds up to more than $18,800 over the course of a year.

It's unlikely that Andy Warhol had felines in mind when he made his famous proclamation, but a Poquoson house cat named Kitty Puss is still getting her 15 minutes of fame. Dubbed the "Friskiest Cat in America" by the Friskies cat food company, Kitty Puss will soon grace the company's products - joining the ranks of Morris, Baxter and other famous kitties who have proudly endorsed their favorite brands of food. The cat's owner, Melinda Dunlap, merely has to sit back and watch while Kitty Puss strolls into the limelight.

Special events "Merge" — Ekphrastic Poetry and Art Show . 5 tonight. Listen to poetry alongside the paintings that inspired them. Olde Towne Art, 525 High St., Portsmouth. 615-9490. But What is it? 5 tonight. Opening reception. Art, food and live music. Exhibit runs through March 2. Riverview Gallery, 1 High St., Portsmouth. Riverviewgallery.biz. Take the Polar Plunge to Benefit Special Olympics Virginia. 6 tonight. Plunge party with the band Butter, corn hole tournament, food and adult beverages, at the end of 7th Street on the beach.

Most Chesapeake Bay fishermen know the value of using chum when fishing for bluefish, cobia or drum. What isn't widely known is that chum can be used for a variety of saltwater and freshwater fish. The most common chum is ground up fish scraps. The goo is placed in a perforated pail or a mesh bag and lowered to a desired depth. The chum filters out of the pail or bag slowly, creating an oily slick. Fish are attracted by the smell - bluefish have been known to pick up chum slicks as much as a mile away and follow it to your awaiting baits.

He stays at the Holiday Inn-Airport so often he's considered a permanent resident. "He just thinks he owns the place," head housekeeper Patsy McCulloch said of the hotel's most arrogant guest. The vain bachelor struts around the hotel courtyard or lounges near the pool, showing off for the ladies until he disappears half an hour after sundown. He dines on pancakes, oatmeal cookies ... and cat food. Cat food? Sure. Lots of peacocks eat cat food, Pete would say, if he could talk.

Perhaps aggravation - not necessity - is the mother of invention. Fifth-graders at Seaford Elementary School suggested that when they came up with solutions to their pet peeves and competed in the school's fourth annual Invention Convention. Feeding Amanda Taylor's cat can be a dirty job, but she has to do it. "I used to get messy every time I did it," said Amanda, 10. She would get cat food on her fingers from the can and from the knife she used to break up the food for her cat, Misty.

In today's business history lecture, class, we will note that the business world loves to follow trends. In the 1990s, we saw the start of the merger trend: Daimler-Benz and Chrysler, Citicorp and Travelers, Bill Gates and the Northern Hemisphere, etc. Still, it came as a surprise when the next decade saw the beginning of the cartoon trademark lawsuit trend. This started, as you know, when Tony the Tiger, the Kellogg's Frosted Flakes spokesman, filed a suit against the Exxon spokes-tiger.

At least one local pet death has "raised a red flag," but there are no confirmed local cases tied to the recalled cat and dog foods. Judith Arnold doesn't know if her dog got sick from eating tainted food. Arnold just knows that Louie, her 9-year-old Bijon frise, developed kidney problems in the past six months, and he had been eating one of the brands of canned dog food that was recalled over the weekend for causing kidney problems. The tainted foods have caused at least 10 deaths nationwide.

To keep your cat healthy throughout its lifetime it must be properly fed. To accomplish this, a basic understanding of nutrition and your pet's unique dietary requirements is necessary. One big difference in feline nutrition is the cat's need for lots of protein - almost 2-3 times as much as a dog. For this reason, cats should not be fed dog food and vice versa. Dogs will often prefer cat food over their own due to higher fat and protein content. However, long-term feeding of the wrong food can have serious consequences.

It's a hard life, basking in the sunshine and finding enough time in the day for naps, but Lucien has it down to a feline science. Lucien, an orange tabby estimated to be about 11 years old, never met a piece of good furniture or a can of cat food he didn't like. He's owned - if you must use that term - by Melinda Waldrop of Newport News.

When Martha Jobe opted to go from an SUV to a smaller vehicle, she downsized in a major way - from a 219-inch-long Chevy Suburban that gets 12-18 miles per gallon to a 98-inch-long Smart Car that gets 38-40 mpg. "I'm not a good 'big car' driver," says Martha, 49, who drives 62 miles daily from her home in Hampton to work in Williamsburg. "I truly love fitting in a parking place in just one try and I don't miss all the curbs that I've gotten to know up close and personal in the Suburban or all the hours I spent parking it."

At least one local pet death has "raised a red flag," but there are no confirmed local cases tied to the recalled cat and dog foods. Judith Arnold doesn't know if her dog got sick from eating tainted food. Arnold just knows that Louie, her 9-year-old Bijon frise, developed kidney problems in the past six months, and he had been eating one of the brands of canned dog food that was recalled over the weekend for causing kidney problems. The tainted foods have caused at least 10 deaths nationwide.

In today's business history lecture, class, we will note that the business world loves to follow trends. In the 1990s, we saw the start of the merger trend: Daimler-Benz and Chrysler, Citicorp and Travelers, Bill Gates and the Northern Hemisphere, etc. Still, it came as a surprise when the next decade saw the beginning of the cartoon trademark lawsuit trend. This started, as you know, when Tony the Tiger, the Kellogg's Frosted Flakes spokesman, filed a suit against the Exxon spokes-tiger.

Dorothy Sherwood spent her Monday watching 8 inches of swishing, swirling water stain her china hutch and bubble under her squishy carpet. Floodwaters got as high as 3 feet on several roads in the Pembroke Avenue area near Buckroe - especially Kensington, Rawood, Somerville and Bancroft drives. The Hampton Fire Department borrowed rental boats from Sandy Bottom Nature Park to evacuate people and their pets from their homes, although the water receded to wading depth by late Monday afternoon.

It's unlikely that Andy Warhol had felines in mind when he made his famous proclamation, but a Poquoson house cat named Kitty Puss is still getting her 15 minutes of fame. Dubbed the "Friskiest Cat in America" by the Friskies cat food company, Kitty Puss will soon grace the company's products - joining the ranks of Morris, Baxter and other famous kitties who have proudly endorsed their favorite brands of food. The cat's owner, Melinda Dunlap, merely has to sit back and watch while Kitty Puss strolls into the limelight.

Dorothy Sherwood spent her Monday watching 8 inches of swishing, swirling water stain her china hutch and bubble under her squishy carpet. Floodwaters got as high as 3 feet on several roads in the Pembroke Avenue area near Buckroe - especially Kensington, Rawood, Somerville and Bancroft drives. The Hampton Fire Department borrowed rental boats from Sandy Bottom Nature Park to evacuate people and their pets from their homes, although the water receded to wading depth by late Monday afternoon.

Feline urologic syndrome, or FUS, encompasses the entire complex of diseases involving the bladder and urinary problems in cats. Heredity, diet and environment all contribute to this disorder, which occurs in both male and female cats (although afflicted males suffer more drastic consequences). There is good evidence that if a cat develops FUS before 2 years of age, the condition may become chronic. If symptoms appear after the cat's second birthday, the incident could turn out to be an isolated one. Cystitis, or inflammation of the bladder, is the most common condition caused by FUS. "You'll notice your cat drinking more water and urinating more than normal," says Sarah Greenwalt, D.V.M.

Conferences AGING CHALLENGE. An Education Conference on The Challenges of Aging: Weighing the Ups and Downs will be held from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Friday at the H.J.E. Reid Conference Center, 14 Langley Blvd., in Hampton. The fee is $15 and includes box lunch and beverage. Sponsored by the Sarah Bonwell Hudgins Foundation. For information, call 827-8757 or e-mail sarah@sarahbonwellhudgins.org Meetings NORTH CAROLINA ALUMNI. The Williamsburg-Peninsula Chapter North Carolina A&T State University Alumni Chapter will meet at 6 p.m. May 8 at the Lees Homes Social Club, 3201 N. Armistead Ave., in Hampton.

Perhaps aggravation - not necessity - is the mother of invention. Fifth-graders at Seaford Elementary School suggested that when they came up with solutions to their pet peeves and competed in the school's fourth annual Invention Convention. Feeding Amanda Taylor's cat can be a dirty job, but she has to do it. "I used to get messy every time I did it," said Amanda, 10. She would get cat food on her fingers from the can and from the knife she used to break up the food for her cat, Misty.